On our way to filling up Professor Temple’s car with our last shipment of school supplies, during our last moments of our semester long Major Works/Major Issues, I turned around to look back and among the silence I heard….. SQUEAK… SQUEAK… SQUEAK!!! Shelby, my fellow classmate, was wheeling over about twenty or so boxes and the cart she was wheeling them on was making a very distinct squeak every few seconds. We all started giggling about it, but then a thought popped into my head. I asked aloud, “What is that saying about squeaky wheels?” Another classmate responded, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

Wheels may not look like this anymore, but the old saying still rings true today... (Photo from tikpress.wordpress.com)

The squeaky wheel gets the grease…. Coincidentally enough, I feel like this a lesson that I have learned throughout this semester. For those of you unfamiliar with the saying, it basically refers to the phenomenon that when you speak up about something you get attention, or even sometimes the response you want. This semester I wanted to fill at least 10 boxes full of school supplies to ship to Afghanistan. I wanted to pass along a small piece of what I have had since birth here in America; guaranteed education.

At first, I was unsure and apprehensive of how I was going to achieve this. I was having an especially hard time with the process because a large aim of the class was to use social media as a way to promote raising school supplies. Unlike the typical person, before this class I did not have a Facebook or a Twitter account. Honestly, I personally dislike social network sites. In my opinion, Facebook and Twitter provide the perfect platform to nurture narcissistic, self-absorbed, over-dramatic, nosy, and attention-deficit tendencies in all of us. How could they possibly be utilized to help make a positive social change?

Well, it seems that I got carried away with my cynical views. Facebook could be harboring some unflattering traits in us, but it also provides a wonderful medium and opportunity to catch people’s attention. Through the use of blogs, links, and weekly Facebook/Twitter statuses I was able to grab the attention of my friends and coworkers. After that, persistently keeping up with these networks and talking about the cause led to large donations (over 10 boxes worth). Furthermore, my classmates must have similar successes with social networking, because we collected more than 133 boxes of school supplies all together.

68 of the boxes in Professor Temple's car -- congratulations to our class for such a successful semester! (Photo by Jenna Cummings)

Summing it up, my squeaky wheel got the grease and social networking really helped to increase the span that the squeak reached. So, I have one last squeak for you: It is never too late to help – click here to be a part of the very special cause I was a part of this semester.